Nanotechnology Assisted Targeted Drug Delivery for Bone Disorders: Potentials and Clinical Perspectives

Nanotechnological approaches for diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer: a review of recent trends

Formulations from nanotechnology platform promote therapeutic drug delivery and offer various advantages such as biocompatibility, non-inflammatory effects, high therapeutic output, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility in comparison with free drug delivery. Due to inherent shortcomings of conventional drug delivery to cancerous tissues, alternative nanotechnological-based approaches have been developed for such ailments. Ovarian cancer is the leading gynecological cancer with higher mortality rates due to its reoccurrence and late diagnosis. In recent years, the field of medical nanotechnology has witnessed significant progress in addressing existing problems and improving the diagnosis and therapy of various diseases including cancer. Nevertheless, the literature and current reviews on nanotechnology are mainly focused on its applications in other cancers or diseases. In this review, we focused on the nanoscale drug delivery systems for ovarian cancer targeted therapy and diagnosis, and different nanocarriers systems including dendrimers, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanocapsules, and nanomicelles for ovarian cancer have been discussed. In comparison to non-functionalized counterparts of nanoformulations, the therapeutic potential and preferential targeting of ovarian cancer through ligand functionalized nanoformulations’ development has been reviewed. Furthermore, numerous biomarkers such as prostatic, mucin 1, CA-125, apoptosis repeat baculoviral inhibitor-5, human epididymis protein-4, and e-cadherin have been identified and elucidated in this review for the assessment of ovarian cancer. Nanomaterial biosensor-based tumor markers and their various types for ovarian cancer diagnosis are explained in this article. In association, different nanocarrier approaches for the ovarian cancer therapy have also been underpinned. To ensure ovarian cancer control and efficient detection, there is an urgent need for faster and less costly medical tools in the arena of oncology.

Advances in Use of Nanomaterials for Musculoskeletal Regeneration

Since the worldwide incidence of bone disorders and cartilage damage has been increasing and traditional therapy has reached its limits, nanomaterials can provide a new strategy in the regeneration of bones and cartilage. The nanoscale modifies the properties of materials, and many of the recently prepared nanocomposites can be used in tissue engineering as scaffolds for the development of biomimetic materials involved in the repair and healing of damaged tissues and organs. In addition, some nanomaterials represent a noteworthy alternative for treatment and alleviating inflammation or infections caused by microbial pathogens. On the other hand, some nanomaterials induce inflammation processes, especially by the generation of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, it is necessary to know and understand their effects in living systems and use surface modifications to prevent these negative effects. This contribution is focused on nanostructured scaffolds, providing a closer structural support approximation to native tissue architecture for cells and regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration, which results in cartilage and bone healing and regeneration.

Bone-targeted erythrocyte-cancer hybrid membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles for enhancing photothermal and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy of bone invasion by OSCC

Background

Jaw bones are the most common organs to be invaded by oral malignancies, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), because of their special anatomical relationship. Various serious complications, such as pathological fractures and bone pain can significantly decrease the quality of life or even survival outcomes for a patient. Although chemotherapy is a promising strategy for bone invasion treatment, its clinical applications are limited by the lack of tumor-specific targeting and poor permeability in bone tissue. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a smart bone and cancer dual targeting drug delivery platform.

Results

We designed a dual targeting nano-biomimetic drug delivery vehicle Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] that has excellent bone and cancer targeting as well as immune escape abilities to treat malignancies in jaw bones. These nanoparticles were camouflaged with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma WSU-HN6 cell (H) and red blood cell (RBC) hybrid membrane, which were modified by an oligopeptide of eight aspartate acid (Asp8). The spherical morphology and typical core-shell structure of biomimetic nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. These nanoparticles exhibited the same surface proteins as those of WSU-HN6 and RBC. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy showed a greater uptake of the biomimetic nanoparticles when compared to bare H40-PEG nanoparticles. Biodistribution of the nanoparticles in vivo revealed that they were mainly localized in the area of bone invasion by WSU-HN6 cells. Moreover, the Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] nanoparticles exhibited effective cancer growth inhibition properties when compared to other TPZ or IR780 formulations.

Conclusions

Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] has bone targeting, tumor-homing and immune escape abilities, therefore, it is an efficient multi-targeting drug delivery platform for achieving precise anti-cancer therapy during bone invasion.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-021-01088-9.